Buying a new Kit soon!

jondrumming said:

Good point, I'll be sure to do that.


Anyway, if it were up to any of you, which of the kits would you prefer? The Gretsch Renowns, Pearl Masters Custom MCX or Pacific Platinum Series?

I find myself kinda leaning towards PDP again, maybe Pearl...?

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Okay if i had the choice, i would definetly NOT go for PDP. Personally it'd be the pearl but i know a lot of people on here swear by the gretsch reknowns.

As for other kit reccomendations, look at tama starclassic performers.

Ok, guys, here's the deal. I just stumbled across the Gretsch Catalina 6-Piece Maple Limited Edition Kit, for $500! This might be a stupid question, but how do these match up to the Renowns, or any other kits mentioned? Because them being only $500 will bring them to me MUCH faster, and I've been hearing GREAT things about them...

Input?

jondrumming said:

Ok, guys, here's the deal. I just stumbled across the Gretsch Catalina 6-Piece Maple Limited Edition Kit, for $500! This might be a stupid question, but how do these match up to the Renowns, or any other kits mentioned? Because them being only $500 will bring them to me MUCH faster, and I've been hearing GREAT things about them...

Input?

Click to expand...

I own a Cat Maple kit. I will have to say that it is one of the best sounding kits you will find

for such a small cash outlay. I am a seasoned player and play in a hard hitting rock/blues

band. Let me tell you that with the right tuning and heads, the Gretsch Catalina Maples

sound like professional level drums. This series of drums didn't enjoy such great success

by just being mediocre. It truly is the best bang for the buck out there.


Comparing them to the Renoun maple..well there are some differences. The Renouns are

marketed and well recieved as a professional level kit while the Catalina Maple is in the

semi pro, working drummers kit.

The main difference is the grade of maple used in the shell construction;

Catalina Maple = Asian Maple / Renoun = American rock maple (denser)

Both kits are manufactured in the Gretsch factorys in Taiwan and China where the quality

is high but production costs are low.

Another difference in the shells are the 30 degree edges cut on the Renouns (warmer

and rounder tone) and the Catalinas with a 45 degree bearing edge for a sharper attack.

Renouns also have a silver sealer (painted) shell interior. Catalinas have natural unfinished

interiors. The hoops on the Renouns are solid die-casts (super stiff) and the Catalinas are

fitted with 2.5mm tri flange ( ridgidity but with some flex) I actually prefer the 2.5mm triple

flange hoops to the die cast for the toms as I think that the die casts can actually rob a

drum of some of its resonance.

Gretsch has got it going on with their offshore instruments! The Renouns are fabulous

sounding kits. But my choice was the Catalina Maples for the outstanding build quality,

sound to dollar ratio. Either kit is a great choice! The Cat Maples could easily be used in a

pro setting. I am playing semi pro now and I love this kit!!! GRETSCH for the WIN!!!

Thought I'd toss my hat into this conversation. First off, I'm very glad you decided to go with the A Customs over the B8's. I will add that I think Iron Cobra pedals are good values and great workhorses. But the best thing you can do is go to the music store and try as many pedals as you can for as long as necessary.

Now onto the drums. I'm glad you are considering scaling down in number, especially if you are considering forming a band and gigging anytime soon. Carting around and setting up a gigantic kit will get old real soon, and many venues won't have enough stage space for a large kit anyway. And sometimes when you're on a multi-band gig, you have to setup or break down your drums quickly. Much easier to do with a smaller kit. Also, consider the additional costs that will mount if you do start gigging. You'll want good bags/cases to transport all your gear, and that can get pricey. You may want to buy a set of microphones for the kit, especially if you plan on doing any recording. That can get pricey too, especially with a large kit. My last drum related purchase was a set of quality gig bags, a set of heads, and a bundle of sticks. It cost me almost $400, and I have a 4-piece kit!

I will ditto on the importance of a good snare. It's really the primary focus of the kit, so you want it to be top notch. For me, as long as I have a great sounding snare and set of cymbals, that goes a long, long way. Which brings me to my next point, in which I will detract from other points made thus far.

I can definitely see the value in getting a high end kit. Of all the kits you listed so far, I was most impressed with the Pearl Masters. You just can't go wrong there. The only thing that gives me pause is how you will use them. Again, if you are planning on forming a band and gigging, a nice, high end kit can be a hindrance. There are some venues (mainly bars) I would never bring a high end kit to. There's too much of a chance of them getting damaged or even stolen. Plus, over time, constantly transporting drums leads to wear and tear, especially drums with lacquer finishes. Again, I have an aversion to doing this with a high end kit. So, if you see gigging in your future, I wouldn't be opposed to quality cymbals, quality snare, and mid-level drums. Some of the mid-level kits sound pretty darn good anyway (I've heard good things about Mapex M-Birch and Sonor 3007). So, an example kit would be something like a 5/6-piece Sonor 3007, Ludwig Supraphonic snare, and A Custom cymbals. Personally, I think this is the most versatile arrangement. The other option is to get two kits: One quality kit for keeping at home/recording/special gigs, and one cheapo kit for gigging. One more thing I will add is buying used quality gear is a great way to go, but it does take a lot of effort to find the right kit. I went with used gear, and ended up with a pretty nice kit for a reasonable amount of money.

Finally, a comment on the car thing. The only necessity I can see is if you do start gigging, you will need something to transport your drums in. So, unless you can borrow someone's vehicle, no car could be a problem. Otherwise, I am all for living a car-free existence.